Painting Live

I'm an abstract expressionist artist and live painter, I'm the sole-proprieter of my art business "revelatorART", the co-founder of the local Boise performance art company "Marten Evergreen",  I'm an art minister with the local Boise arts ministry "VineArts", and I travel the world connecting cross culturally in communities through creativity. I work in mixed media painting. I create most of my work in my studio, but I often paint live as a way to allow the creative process to be a collaborative conversation between me (the artist), the audience, and (if available) other artists, musicians, dancers, and speakers. 

Over this last week I had 2 really cool opportunities to paint live in 2 very different venues, collaborating with 2 very different groups, to converse with 2 very different audiences. 

 I painted live on a stage in a church during their Sunday morning services and I also painted live in the display window of a downtown city center vintage clothing shop. 

What I loved about both very different experiences is that in each opportunity, of creating art live in front of people, there was the chance to connect with people not only visually (as I painted) but also conversely (either during or afterwards). Connecting with people is the main reason I paint live. Yes it's a cool thing to get to show the world the creative things that are within me as they find their way onto the canvas. But it's an even cooler thing to talk with people and have them share with me what they are/were experiencing by watching me create the art, or have them share with me what's going on in their lives and how the simple vulnerable act of me creating something in front of them became a safe invitation for them to open up too. It's a really cool thing! 

For me, human interaction is the stuff of life. It doesn't matter to me if I'm in a Christian church, in a shop on a busy city center street, performing at an art event, accompanying a band at a concert, creating something special at a birthday party or private event, or connecting cross culturally in a community overseas. Painting live is like the ice breaker for conversation (art is only the language) so human to human hearts can connect. 

That's what I'm about. I'm all about the heart to heart. I'm all about the love. 

Painting Live at Vineyard Boise Church:

 photo taken by J. Nilo

Abstraction in design within a church.

photo taken by J. Nilo

Collaborating with the band that led the congregation in song.

 photo taken by J. Nilo

Collaborating with Pastor Mike Freeman as he spoke to the congregation. 

The finished painting. A parable of Jesus about being generous to others with what we've been given.

It is only one of many style-similar images that local artists are creating at the church on Sunday mornings May-Sept 2016 to illustrate the parables of Jesus. They are being hung up as a backdrop to the stage in the sanctuary. 

Painting Live at LUX Fashion Lounge in Boise:

Partnering with local shop owners to help support local (both ways!)

 photo taken by R. Rodriquez 

Abstract Expressionism within a shop window.

 photo taken by G. Deeming

Interacting with people watching.

The stopping point for the painting at the end of the night. It morphed and changed throughout the 3 hour time I was creating it. It went from complete abstract to an impression of the Boise River. I don't know what it will end up actually looking like, but I will finish it up in my studio.

And this is the finished painting after spending some more time with it in my art studio. It's still representing the river....but I moved it back into more of an abstract expressionist painting rather than impressionism (which is what it was moving into while I was painting live). I really like how it turned out. I realize that I couldn't really have done the splatter effect the way that I really wanted to do in this painting while painting it live in the shop because of being in close quarters in the display window and in such close proximity to clothes racks and other merchandise. Once I was in my studio I had the freedom to let the painting go where it wanted to go. 

Painting Large Canvas Mural Backdrops

I haven't gotten the chance to take/post photos of the new backdrop at Vineyard Boise yet until today. This backdrop is a collaboration of many artists and non-artists together. The theme of it coincides with the current sermon series on Corinthians. Here it is after a bunch of us painted phrases on it Sunday August 30th during the worship services. The artists in VineArts (along with staff and many others) have been collaborating on and painting backdrops for the sermon series at Vineyard Boise since (I think) 2007. Out of all the backdrops we've worked on, I think this is one of my favorites. Maybe it's the grungy graffiti imagery, maybe it's the vibrant range of colors, maybe it's the cool signs and wording...but I think it's mostly because this one is focusing on LOVE. 

Our process starts in prayer (the pastoral staff asks the artists to create something for an upcoming series. We're made aware of what book of the Bible will be taught. Then we pray about imagery and collaborate on ideas). The next step is to paint the base colors on the canvases. We do this in our studio (all 3 8ftx12ft panels on the floor) with large handled brushes and brooms. We use latex house paints. We add texture as needed. The next phase is details. We hang the panels up, project images or words and chalk outlines for painting. Sometimes it's all painted flat on the floor and then later hung in the sanctuary for the series, other times the panels are hung unfinished and we paint the details live during worship. This is one where we are continuing to paint details during worship throughout the year as our pastor speaks through the book of Corinthians. It's a fun collaborative process that helps our congregation engage visually with the teachings through creativity.

I love what we get to do together!

Coming: The Creative Church Conference-Embracing the Arts in Your Church

Coming:

The Creative Church Conference

Boise Idaho

July 25-27

hosted at Vineyard Boise Church 

The Purpose of The Creative Church Conference

The Creative Church Conference is a forum for ideas and practices that can take artists and churches to new levels of glorifying God through the arts.

Imagine if the local church became the place in culture to experience creativity, transcendence, and beauty.

Hundreds of years ago churches were, in many ways, centers for these experiences. Somehow, over time we’ve abdicated that role. Now, many churches are experiencing a growing desire to nurture their artists and explore the creative arts.

The Creative Church Conferences offer inspiration and ideas for churches and artists at all levels, whether you have a flourishing arts ministry or are an individual artist looking to spark the arts in your church.

Creative leaders from several movements and denominations will share visionary ideas and practical applications. Attendees will be encouraged to share during panel discussions and open forums.

This year our focus is The Artist in Community.

What does it mean to be a Christian creative who is in community with other artists? How can I find this for myself?

We know the subject of community can be somewhat scary, especially for artistic people. Most of us are divinely wired to be sensitive to beauty and to pain, creating our best work mainly in solitude from the depths of our gut. We assure you: we’re good at respecting your space, and we’ll give you quiet time to process. Yet God wants to teach us about the way He exists in the Trinity and how that applies to the Church, His people. Please come, even (especially) if the subject of community makes you sweat a little.

2014 Speakers

Colin Harbinson  (Ontario, Canada)

Dr. Colin Harbinson was born in London, England, and has been involved in many varied aspects of the arts, missions and education for 40 years. Colin created the internationally acclaimed production Toymaker & Son that has been performed in over 70 countries. Colin received his education at Sussex University, Brighton, England, and later joined Youth With a Mission and directed the Academy of Performing Arts in Ontario, Canada. He subsequently served as the International Dean of The College of the Arts at the University of the Nations. Colin is the Founder and President of the International Festival of the Arts that pioneered Sacred Fire, the first East-West arts festival in St. Petersburg, Russia, and the Love Without Borders festival in Sofia, Bulgaria. The Ode to Joy festival in Kunming China involved over 700 artists from 21 countries and was the largest international arts festival of its kind in the history of that nation. Until recently, he was the Dean of the School of the Arts at Belhaven University in Jackson, MS. Colin is currently the International Director of StoneWorks, a global arts partnership for cultural reformation and the recovery of the imagination in the life and mission of the Church.

J. Scott McElroy (Indianapolis, IN)

J. Scott McElroy is the author of Finding Divine Inspiration: Working with the Holy Spirit in Your Creativity, and founder of The New Renaissance Arts Movement, dedicated to connecting, equipping and inspiring churches and artists for the New Renaissance. Scott is also the Director of Arts at the Indianapolis Vineyard Church. He speaks nationally about spiritual formation for artists, the arts in the local church, and more. Scott is an award winning audio producer, a voiceover artist,  and visual artist. He served as Emmis Communications Indianapolis Production Director for 20 years, and hosted the Animal Planet  TV series, “Wildlife Journal” from 2004-2007. His book The Creative Church Handbook will release on IVP (InterVarsity Press) in 2015,

Jessie Nilo (Boise, ID)

Jessie Nilo is an artist in love with the local church. In 2004 she had a clear revelation of starting an arts ministry called VineArts at Vineyard Boise Church. She loves visiting with artists, and she says you can boil down arts ministry to “2 or 3 creatives sitting at a fireplace, talking about art, life, and Jesus.” She collaborates with the VineArts leaders in prayer, support, and a stunning variety of creative endeavors God sends their way to bless their church and city. Jessie is an accomplished visual artist and teaches drawing, painting, photography, and graphic design to artistic high schoolers at Fresco Arts Academy in Eagle, Idaho. She contributed to The Creative Church Handbook by J. Scott McElroy which releases on IVP (InterVarsity Press) in 2015.

Dave Blakeslee (Salida, CO)

Dave Blakeslee has been an accomplished studio potter in Colorado since 1975. His art is influenced by a variety of cultures, and he creates pots not as an end in itself, but to be used and enjoyed, which influences the shape, glaze choices, size of his high-fire clays to endure regular use. Dave served as senior pastor of the Salida Vineyard Church, for over 20 years. Having stepped down from full-time ministry, he has re-entered full-time studio work. He loves traveling to different churches, encouraging people through his artwork and being an agent of reconciliation between pastors and artists, as Dave understands both walks of life.

Cecilia Brie Tschoepe (Austin, TX)

Cecilia Brie Tschoepe is an actor, writer, and director whose work focuses on the development of new plays and “community-engaged” theatre. Brie’s work has been produced in Austin’s FronteraFest fringe theatre festival and HopeArts festival, and in New York by Threads Theater Company, NYU’s Theatrix Festival of New Work, and The Village Church. She holds an MA in Educational Theatre from NYU where she co-founded a laboratory workshop for students exploring “devising” techniques, and performed in two seasons of New Plays for Young Audiences, workshopping with playwrights including Byrony Lavery, Y.York, Susan Zeder, and Laurie Brooks.

Manuel Luz (Folsam, CA)

Manuel Luz is passionate about worship, coffee, the Oakland Raiders, and the intersections of faith and the arts.  A songwriter, author, speaker, and creative arts pastor, Manuel’s book, Imagine That: Discovering Your Unique Role as a Christian Artist (Moody Publishers) is a practical and personal theology of the arts. Check out his thought-provoking blog, “Adventures in Faith and Art” (manuelluz.com), or his four solo albums (iTunes orCDBaby). Manuel’s stunning essays on intrinsic beauty are a must-read for any artist of faith.

Andrew Nemr (NYC, NY)

Mentored by Gregory Hines, Andrew  Nemr is considered one of the most hardworking and diverse tap dance artists today. Co-founder of the Tap Legacy™ Foundation, Inc., Andrew has garnered a reputation for impeccable musicianship and sensitivity, and respect for the craft that he loves. A TED Fellow and the artist in residence for the Quarterly Arts Soiree (QAS) at Webster Hall, Andrew received an NEA Masterpieces: Dance Initiative Grant to reconstruct the works of classic tap dance soloists, garnering critical and popular acclaim upon their presentation in Echoes In Time.  Collectively, Andrew’s choreography and solo work has been described as “a welcome return to the elegance of simplicity and the tap dancer as maker of aural magic” (exploredance.com) and “deeply touching” (Daily Gazette).

Jason Leith (Saddleback Church, CA)

 Jason is the director of arts at  Saddleback Church’s arts initiative, Ex Creatis, and a accomplished artist. His Sacred Streets project gained international acclaim. Sacred Streets features twelve portraits of homeless people whom he met and drew right on Los Angeles’ “skid row”. The portraits were exhibited in temporary gallery made of found materials that was erected on a vacant lot on “skid row”.

His desire was to  render beauty in ways that marry artistic excellence with social responsibility. “I had a relevation that . . . I did not have to choose between the two or practice them separately.”  Jason is a graduate of Biola University’s fine arts program.

Bryn Gillette (New Milford, CT)

Bryn Gillette is a painter and art teacher defined by his identity as “husband, father, and passionate follower of Jesus Christ.”  He earned his B.A. in Visual Art from Gordon College in 2001 and his M.F.A. in Painting from Western Connecticut State University in 2009.  Bryn is currently a full time art, photography, and Bible teacher at Trinity-Pawling School in NY.  He is the co-founder of TeamOne:27, a non-profit dedicated to serving the needs of Haitian orphans, and spends the majority of his artistic time as an advocate and champion of the needs of his Haitian “family.” Bryn says of his oil paintings, “There is little distinction for me between my artistic process and the act of prayer.  Painting is where my eye, my hand, and my heart all intersect.”

*all info taken from The Creative Church Conference website*

FOR MORE INFO CLICK HERE:                 The Creative Church Conference

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER: http://creativechurchconference.wordpress.com/registration/

Creativity and Contemplation

JOURNEY THIS WAY

This Lenten/Easter Season I was given the honor of partnering with Vineyard Boise Church for their "Journey of the Cross" multi-media interactive experience during Holy Week. "Journey of the Cross" has 4 events that the public can attend and are encouraged to interact with. 

How have I partnered with them? 

When faced with the sobriety of how human we are, those moments when we realize that we so desperately want to live fully and love well, but all too often we get bogged down in the mess of circumstances and we fail to respond and live out of that life and love, the question of the heart is asked, "Is it me?" and the journey becomes very personal.

I've created a 12 piece art exhibit that has been temporarily installed in the Vineyard Boise Church sanctuary for people to interact with during this most holy of seasons on the Christian church calendar. I created my exhibit in the contemplative tradition of "Stations of the Cross" that is usually experienced within liturgical churches, but with the difference that instead of the literal journey of Jesus Christ to the cross I have depicted a more contemporary personal journey of a heart. I researched and studied the traditional contemplative art form of iconography and have practiced the contemplative prayer forms of lectio and visio divina. In creating my exhibit I wanted to bring forward these ancient practices to modern day to create a kind of modern icon experience, and in such a way that whether the viewer has experience in liturgical practice or not, hopefully they can still connect with the exhibit in a personal way. Each station piece is made of various pieces of wood that have a center image created on cardboard (and decorated with gold leaf). Attached to each is a statement with questions meant to draw the viewer into a more personal interaction with the art piece. Each station piece leads to the next in a journey-like format allowing the viewer to follow a path much like we experience in real life (often times we experience it in cycles throughout our lives). 

My exhibit is titled: 

"There and Back Again: A Heart's Journey to Love Much and Love Well" 

How to approach this art exhibit:

If you choose to journey, follow the arrows. 

This exhibit is meant to be an opportunity to journey in contemplation through creativity. Allow yourself to engage with the art pieces themselves, but also allow yourself to experience something deeper emotionally and spiritually, beyond the art. Take the time to approach each station piece in sequence (starting with the Intro piece that explains the background of the exhibit and continue on through the Roman numerals 1-12). 

As you approach a piece: view the center painting. Read the words hanging. Allow yourself to connect with the entire piece of art, engage with the words that are hanging, contemplate the meaning for you. Ask yourself questions. What is going on here in this piece for the heart? What is God saying to your heart through this piece? When you’re ready, follow the arrow to the next station piece. Continue the journey. The journey is meant to be a cycle we each experience (probably several times in a lifetime). 

Some station pieces may speak to you more than others. That’s okay. Is there a station piece that connects with you more than the others? If so, ask yourself why. Is there a station piece that disturbs you more than the others? If so, ask yourself why. Spend time in prayer about it. Take some time to journal about it. Ask God to continue speaking to you during this Lenten/Easter season about what you connected with through this journey experience. 

Thank you for embarking on the journey.

These visual expressions, interpreting transformative moments in the life of a creative heart, are offered in the tradition of the contemplative Stations of the Cross.
Like stones of remembrance, each station depicts a moment along the path that has been influential to the journey of the heart. 
Each tiny painting print is from an original large mixed media painting on canvas. Many of the originals were not created in the order they appear in this exhibit but are specifically placed now to create a journey for the heart. The koru swirl at the bottom of each piece is a seal meaning new beginnings . 
There and Back Again: A Hearts Journey to Love Much and Love Well has been a ten year project, from inception to research, to its completion. And it s been the culmination of thirteen years of learning to listen for the Voice that calls the heart to take the risk, to trust, to be set free, to be who it s supposed to be, and to love much and love well.

1
Fill Me Up
It starts with the willingness to be open. Open for change. Open to learn and grow and become. Open to dream of more. Open to let go of all that would hinder. Open to new beginnings. Open to enter the journey unexpected.

2
Sing Over Me
And then there s the call. A call on the wind that sings out to the heart. It s a voice from within that calls out from beyond. Arise. Come away with me. The season of singing has begun. Come. Something resonates within the heart. Passions are stirred and a question is asked. 

3
Open Heart
Me? Now? Will it be safe? The heart weighs the pros and cons of the journey. And after much contemplation, the heart answers and makes the decision to surrender to the quest. To take the risk. To trust love. To step, to run out the door onto the road, away from the comfort of what is familiar and enter the adventure awaiting beyond. 

4
Who Are You?
The journey can take the heart to exciting and dangerous places. Along the way the heart encounters others and it recognizes that so much is at stake. The heart sees (as if for the first time) It s not just about me, there s so much more. Where do I fit in? The heart wonders does it have what it takes to accept the burden of the journey and make it to the end?

5
Storm Dancer
As the journey continues, the heart endures troubles and difficulties that can be overwhelming like a furious storm. Some can be scary and make a grown heart feel like a child. Not all storms are meant to bring harm. Some are meant to build courage and faith to dance upon the raging waves. It s not so bad to be like a child, full of hope and wonder.

6
Dive Deep
And if the heart leans in to listen intently, it can hear a voice calling out from the storm. A voice that beckons it to dive. To dive deeper into the waters. To swim past all that seems logical, down into the depths of surrender. It is here where the real work can begin. It s here in the deep that new life is birthed.

7
Heart Surgery
It is in the depths of surrender that the heart can undergo the needed surgery for new beginnings. It s here on the table of sacrifice that the heart is most vulnerable. It gives itself over to the bloody mess of the work and allows for the removal of all that has hindered it from being fully free. Pain is necessary to understand joy. 

8
Isolation
Pain can cause the heart to retract. The vulnerability of surrendering to the process of transformation can feel like too much at times. The heart isolates overcome by selfishness, pride, hurts, fears and insecurities. The question why? is asked. Faced with the reality of the self, the heart wants to turn back. Back to where it started. Back to where if felt safer.  

9
The Battle
What the heart may not know is that there is a war being waged behind the scenes. The heart is valued more than it can realize. The battle is fierce. Will the heart be set free to live fully in the light with confidence or will it be chained and bound in darkness by fears and insecurities? What the heart needs to know is that it is good and worth fighting for. And it is not alone.

10
All Things New
Refreshing rain will come to wash away the blood, sweat, and tears of rebirth. The pain of the journey has been for a purpose. The call on the wind was True. The heart has been remade. Love pours and flows and is expressed from everything it does and says and is.  

11
Restoration
Now the heart, instead of retracting into darkness, has been restored to the light. It can turn towards, instead of away from. It reaches out with compassion and embraces community. It is restored through new beginnings into who it is supposed to be...fully alive.  

12
Communion in Community
The journey has taken the heart to there and back again. Like a portal to the past with hope for the future, the heart can be fully present and alive. It feels a part of something much bigger than itself and it will never be the same. It willingly embraces the communion of other hearts and recognizes that the journey isn t over. The heart was made for so much more. And so the heart finds itself at the beginning once again setting out to love much and love well. 

My desire for this exhibit is to be able to rent it out to other churches, galleries, and venues for interactive contemplative experiences. There is even a bowl I provide that has tiny stones and shells. If the viewer experiences a special heart connection to any part of the exhibit they are encouraged to take a stone or a shell with them as a reminder of the experience. If you or your organization or venue have interest in renting my exhibit you can contact me via email at: revelatorart@yahoo.com 

creating a wall mural

I really enjoy commissioned work. There's something really appealing to me about the artist-client relationship where I can be challenged to utilize my skills and talents to create something from my own hands and in the process work at bringing someone else's idea, vision, picture into something tangible and concrete. Occasionally I get the opportunity to be hired to paint a wall mural somewhere. The hard surface of a vertical wall and the placement of that wall in relation to the other objects or spacial qualities of the room, etc., can add it's own challenges to the process.

I liken myself sometimes to a chef bringing their own knives to a job as I come prepared with my roll up pouch of brushes and painting tools wherever I am asked or hired to paint.

Perhaps like a mechanic who probably prides themselves in how much grease and grime is on their hands after a days work, I too find that I revel in the amount of paint color I just seem to naturally get on my hands, my shoes, my clothes, and just about anything in my splatter range after a hard days work painting. When painting wall murals I typically utilize water based latex house paints for the easiest application and clean up process. It also makes it easier for coverage if the wall is going to be repainted in the future.

To start a mural I typically project the image that I'll be painting onto the wall using an overhead projector or an enlarger projector. Then I trace around the outline of the image with chalk to give myself an outline of where to paint. This technique is very helpful when working with detailed images or images that might be well known by the public (like a movie persona or scene). With this most recent mural project (which was in the Book Cellar bookstore located in Vineyard Boise church in Garden City - a neighborhood of Boise) I had been hired to recreate some of my own studio paintings (with some personalized additions and changes) onto a concrete block wall in a bookstore...being that the imagery was well known to me (having been original ideas of mine) I chose not to use the projector. Instead I freehanded the chalk outlines to give myself a general idea of where I wanted things.

My first task was to create the look of a used drop cloth as the background to the three paintings I was recreating. This tromp l'oeil (trick of the eye) effect was part of the request of the bookstore as we contracted. The challenge for me was to make the "drop cloth" look like it had paint spills and splatters with out actually physically splattering and making a mess on the wall. The main reason for this was that the location of the wall that I was painting was above a large music CD shelf and close by were several book shelves and tables with new merchandise on them. I did my best to cover and protect things but I needed to "reign myself in" on my "action painting" expressions. The other reason was that the wall was vertical. Typically a drop cloth is placed on the ground where a painter is painting and so drips and splatters and messes are created from above the cloth. With the wall being vertical I had to figure out how to paint those drips and splatters and messes to look like they had been created from above instead from the side. 

The first "painting" is titled "Fill Me Up". The imagery in this painting is of books, writing materials, and a coffee mug. Reading, studying, writing, while sharing a cup of coffee fits well into this bookstore that is housed inside Vineyard Boise church. I painted a little N4 on the coffee mug (this is representing a motto that Vineyard Boise has regarding reaching out to the community in it's immediate surrounding of Garden City "In Garden City, For Garden City")...it's a reminder that as we are filled up with God's love we must be poured out to others. It's all about loving much and loving well.

The second "painting" is titled "Sing Over Me". The imagery is of three birds flying. The birds represent the presence of the Trinity in our lives...watching over, caring for, and delighting in. Worship (the act of spending time with, honoring & revering, serving & giving, learning & growing, singing & expressing through the creative arts, loving and living for God) is a huge value of how those who attend the Vineyard actively try to live their lives.

The third "painting" is titled "Rain Down On Me". The imagery is of the skyline of the city of Boise. It features a rainy sky pouring out over the city of Boise. The rain represents God's Spirit (filled with love) pouring out over the city we live in to empower us all to love those within our community.

Here is the finished wall mural. Each of the "paintings", which were based on three of my original paintings, together became one large painting of its own. 

One last added piece to the mural...just as I was finishing up, the manager of the bookstore (who enjoys a bit of fun) asked me to add in a "Where's Waldo?" sort of mystery. Upon his request I painted a tiny T.A.R.D.I.S. from Dr. Who hidden somewhere on the "drop cloth" background. It's moments like this that I'm reminded of how much I really enjoy the artist-client relationship! 

Fact is...the police box travel machine actually fits in with the theme of the three paintings I created in this bookstore. When you stop and think about how books and music and movies (all sold in the bookstore) allow us to be carried away into stories, characters, time periods, places, points of view, understandings. They help us to learn from the past and look to the future by engaging in today and becoming who we are supposed to be...it makes sense. 

Fill us up. Sing over us. Rain down on us. 

I really love being an artist and getting to do this sort of thing for a living! 

If you are interested in seeing the mural I created in person (along with several other murals I've painted in the Book Cellar over the past few years) you can stop in to the Book Cellar located in Heritage Hall at Vineyard Boise church (T-F 9am-5pm, Sun 8am-1pm) to check it out. The church is located at 4950 N. Bradley St. Boise, ID 83714. www.vineyardboise.org